Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their maiden Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Fixture
Steve Borthwick got a timely boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded squad announced on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats came against New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and while South Africa secured their number one spot, George has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.
George's Perspective on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they appear to raise a level when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period last time. Additionally, have a defined strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Adjustments
The England coach is again expected to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with captain Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both suffered issues against the Islanders but have been included in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great test for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
The number eight, in addition, thinks that the team's present ability to break away in the closing stages of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
